The NBA Cup/In-Season Tournament finally comes to a close this week in Las Vegas. LeBron James The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns in a tight contest on Tuesday night to advance to the semifinals. James had an outstanding performance against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, scoring 31 points, 11 points and 8 rebounds. For a tournament that’s still inconclusive, you might be wondering why the King is going all-out for the crown. It’s simple when you consider the overall scope of his career alongside other great players. The NBA Cup championship is a title that Michael Jordan will never have on his resume.
When people think of the greatest basketball players of all time, James’ overthrowing Jordan is a never-ending battle in everyone’s mind. With the odds of Lyndon Johnson winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy again greatly diminished, the next best thing was to win the inaugural NBA Cup. James’ Lakers are just a few games away from achieving that goal in Sin City.
Of course, it wouldn’t be right if it didn’t have a little bit Controversy surrounding Los Angeles’ win over Phoenix Tuesday. Whether you think the referee’s call was right or wrong, this game is difficult to watch in real time, or even on instant replay. The ball appears to be loose before James signals a timeout, and then you look again and you’re not sure. This time, Brown got a huge call.
Fortunately, the Suns will meet the Lakers again later this season and potentially in the playoffs. Now, the Kings must prepare for their fateful date and prepare for a semifinal matchup against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. If the Lakers overcome this challenge, we’ll see James and Anthony Davis in Saturday’s championship game.
Maybe we’ll see another speech about wresting respect from doubters, like we saw in 2020 after the Lakers won the bubble title in Orlando. Everyone should support the Lakers to win this game and see how exaggerated and celebratory James’ victory speech was.
Ultimately, it comes down to James having the championship that a true GOAT can never have.You’ll never hear James say that publicly (at least when he was active), but he Very much want to add Add that title to his list of career titles: first NBA Cup title, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.Hopefully for James, the public (including NBA players) can accept this Champions instead of asterisks Record books like COVID headlines. It’s unlikely, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.